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Polite Pre-Baiting Notice Aug 2017

I just wanted to post a quick note regards the sensible application of pre-baiting on Blackfords waters…

We want to be clear, we do not wish to prevent anglers from pre-baiting but in the interest of the fishery and other members that may be fishing the lakes, we do wish to ensure that this is done in a way that its not excessive and has no detrimental effect on angers that are fishing at that given time!

I would kindly ask members to refrain from pre-baiting when other angers are fishing, I’m sure you can all understand that most peoples time on the bank is precious as we all live busy lives, when we are fortunate enough to get out, we all like to maximize our chances of catching, the last thing anyone wants is someone else turning up and filling the lake in with bait when you’re fishing. This realistically, is poor etiquette and a lack of consideration towards fellow anglers, if someone is fishing its not fair to change the dynamic of the lake by pre-baiting and potentially effecting other anglers fishing. We would kindly ask our members to consider this moving forward…

Secondly, its also been noted that there’s a lot of bait being introduced at Leacroft, again were not asking members to stop putting bait in as there are significant benefits to the growth rates of the fish through doing so, however excessive amounts can also be harmful to the water quality if its not getting eaten. So rather than guess I got some advice someone who rears carp regards the ideal amount of bait for the lake and the quantity/size of fish. Apparently you can actually calculate this if you know the water temp, the average weight of carp & quantity of fish. So based on the current water temp of 16-18c carp can consumer between 0.8% – 1.12% of their body weight per day, Leacroft has around 60 carp at an average weight of 18.5, this means collectively they can eat between 28.6k – 39.5k per week. This is obviously an ideal range for the time of year, as the water temp decreases so will the volume of bait they can eat. Regards the other lakes, the stock levels are significantly higher so the volume of bait they would need would also be significantly higher and i’m almost certain there is no where near enough bait going in to raise any concern at the other 3 venues. Please consider this moving forward at Leacroft, if you feel the volumes of bait you are using is excessive, then please don’t go over the top, most of the captures I’ve known over the years have been from small/moderate levels of bait anyway!

Please keep all of the above in mind, we aren’t trying to prevent anyone from fishing as they choose, but as a fishery management group we have the responsibility of addressing all matters, even sometimes before they occur. I hope you all understand we only say this because we have the fisheries best interest at heart and wish to provide an enjoyable angling experience for all our members!